Prof. Dr. Roland Bennewitz

Honorarprofessor für das Fachgebiet Physik

Program Area Manager Nanotribology at the INM Institute.

Our program area is concerned with the mechanical properties of materials. In particular, we try to understand the microscopic mechanisms of friction through experiments. How exactly is the energy of motion converted into heat? What is the role of the individual molecular bonds, and what is the role of the surface structure? At the heart of our methods is high-resolution friction force microscopy, in which a very fine tip is passed over the surface of the material. The microscope is sensitive enough to measure the frictional force applied to each break of a single molecular bond in the process. We are developing new experimental methods to contribute to the understanding of the complex world of friction in everyday life and technology.

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